


Just for the Morning

by CactusGirl



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Related, Eventual Smut, F/F, Post End-game, Post WW2, Post-Canon, Spoilers, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2019-09-01 11:54:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16764634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CactusGirl/pseuds/CactusGirl
Summary: Post World War II, the Brotherhood is trying to put the pieces back together. The Templars have established economic, military, and political footholds in every country after the war. Rumors have trickled down that the Templars are in possession of a weapon greater than the bomb. A lone assassin follows the rumors and ends up finding more than the Templars- she also finds a mysterious woman named Kassandra. Their meeting becomes the tipping point of the balance between free will and order.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers post end-game. 
> 
> I am obsessed with the masterclass in storytelling that Ubisoft did to retcon their entire series by having a powerful, Isu tech and Isu knowledge carrying Kassandra walking around for thousands of years trying to maintain the balance between order and chaos, authority and free will, Templars and assassins. OBSESSED. Anyway, I think I could write a hundred encounters between her and random assassins and Templars throughout the years. 
> 
> If you’ve only played Odyssey, there a few references to other AC games and the series. I made Andrea part of a family line of assassins from AC: Syndicate which takes place in London. Andrea would be the descendant of that family three to four generations later. 
> 
> Templars = the modern take on the Cult of Kosmos (Order)  
> Assassins = the modern take on a Kassandra-like group that opposes them (Free Will)  
> Any mentions of Abstergo would refer to the Templars who are the symbolic successors of the Cult of Kosmos.  
> Any mentions of the Brotherhood would refer to the collection of assassins and their network working against the Templars.
> 
> This is post WW2. I did not do too much research since this story is focused on Kassandra and Andrea so all historical things are liberties, but I did try to keep it as true to the time period, feel of the game, and how I would imagine Kassandra waltzing around the mid-1940s in a suit. :D
> 
> Final note, I like writing video game adaptations (some of them are on FF), but I find they are more fun when I take liberties and add to the world building. As such, not all characters are canon universe or follow canon timeline, there are some changes. If there’s something egregious, send me a message. Anyway, this was a lot of fun to write, I hope more people write Kassandra throughout all times and places fic (and in a suit).

**PART ONE**

_1945_  
_Three months after the war._  
_Somewhere in America._

A damning stream of light from a nearby window crossed between the streets and over rooftops and fields that used to be ideal for traveling. There had been a time when getting from one side of a rooftop to the other had taken a matter of minutes and there would have been almost no cause for conflict. Now, Andrea was lucky if she could manage to make half that distance without having to outrun a gunner’s aim even here in America where the fighting hadn’t touched their mainland.

It had been three months since the end of the war.

And there were celebrations and signs of peace all over for normal Americans. They were elated and bloated on victory; however for some, like Andrea, there was no sign of stopping any time soon. Armies were recovering and in remission from such a long brutal war, but not all of them rested. Not all of them believed it was an end. They continued to build weapons, stock warehouses, and create military outposts even within their own borders. Andrea had spent eight months, five of them during the war, and now three months after the war, tracking an object mentioned in a former assassin’s journals- a fragment of great power.

Even after the bomb dropped, Templar rumors and channels said this weapon would be more powerful. A weapon that had been would be greater than any the world had ever known. Any chatter of the weapon had been elusive and at times, the Assassin Brotherhood sent directives to stop following the rumors and help rebuild the east coast American network.

Andrea always seemed to conveniently misplace those missives. This time, she followed the latest lead out to the midwest American lands- further than she had ever travelled from her homeland of England.

She perched on the corner ledge of the house closest to the Templar warehouse. It also happened to be a little mini base of operations that helped keep anyone wandering far away. It was the only location that didn’t have spotlights passing by it every few seconds. From this vantage, she could plan her next move. Templar guards were different than soldiers. Some of them were in fact, former soldiers, but they didn’t fight for the same principles, they didn’t care who was on either side of the battle, they cared for themselves only. They spared no thought for whoever occupied the roofs with them - friend, foe, child. Everyone was a potential enemy. Andrea had yet to find a single one who wouldn’t hesitate when faced with the question of whether to shoot at her shadow or not. They fired every time.

It was the same reason why she felt no remorse as she swung from a flag pole mounted outside of an open window and propelled herself into the back of a guard. The slender blade of her assassin gauntlet sunk deep into the base of his neck and slid back out. He was dead and she was gone before his body even hit the floor. The rug caught the weight of his collapse. None of the other guards had any idea their companion just died.

Andrea pushed against the doorframe leading to the hallway and paused. She focused her vision through the wall and could see three other guards and their positions through the occupied house. More importantly, her enhanced, almost supernatural, sight had spotted a generator three rooms away. It was precisely the reason why Andrea had taken such a risk to enter the house in the first place. She exited her cover and remained low to the floor as she walked through the hall.

She located the generator and cautiously rescanned the building to make sure the three guards were still some distance away. Satisfied that she could cut the power, Andrea sliced through the lines and killed the lights. The low buzz from the generator immediately stopped and the light beams that illuminated the rooftops and the field separating her from the rumored Templar warehouse abruptly darkened.

“Perfect.” Andrea whispered to no one in particular.

_“Someone check the generator.”_

_“Anyone hear from Ralph lately?”_

Andrea frowned and glanced across the hallway to the location of what could only be Raph’s body. They wouldn’t be hearing from their friend any time soon. In fact, if they did find Raph or the broken generator, they could have the spotlights back and running within the hour and that could prove dangerous when she was crossing the fields.

She pulled her green hood over her loosely pinned hair and removed a long knife- one would almost consider a short sword. Of the assassins who made the move from the European mainland to follow the war defectors and Templars to the Americas, most thought the long knife was archaic compared to the assassin blade and the newest firearms available, but it always felt right and Andrea had always had a soft spot for the unique. However traditional her close range weapons were, Andrea had long since adapted the latest technologies. She readjusted the collar of her hood and attached a mouthpiece securely over her face. Only her eyes were visible beneath the hood of her assassin cloak. The mouthpiece was the latest filtration system developed and she was lucky enough to have made the acquaintance of the daughter of the inventor.

Andrea tossed a smoke grenade down over the banister.

Thick smoke rose and spread throughout the house.

“What was that!?” A hard round of coughing accompanied the question.

“I don’t think we’re alone! Spread out! Shoot first. There’s been reports of sabotage from headquarters.” More coughing. “I can’t see through this fucking fog.”

Andrea didn’t wait for them to spread out. She mounted the banister and immediately leapt. It wasn’t an amateur fall, but one full of deadly grace. Before she cleared the second floor, she threw two knives to her right. The first knife went through the guard’s hand holding his gun. The second went through his eye. A moment later, Andrea landed softly on the bottom floor of the house.

Her eagle vision revealed the two other guards were still coughing and moving cautiously through the thick smoke. Andrea struck from the shadows. The blade whistled through the air before it sunk into the gut of the first guard. He cried out in pain, but before his companion could fire on her position, Andrea ripped the weapon out and flung it through the dim with pinpoint accuracy. Her eagle vision revealed she had struck him between the eyes.

Andrea casually retrieved the long knife and would have immediately left the building, but the sound of a radio transmission caught her attention.

_Maintain all perimeters. Clear out any unwanted civilians. Any authorities that would come to check out disturbances should be referred to our contact. No unwanted eyes permitted._

For good measure, Andrea smashed the radio. She made her way through the dark house on the edge of the field. It wouldn’t be long before someone on the guard tower at the warehouse noticed they were missing an entire grid of light. She moved fast. The farmland had been abandoned since the installation of the private military warehouse. Equipment, bales, and dead produce littered the area and provided more than enough cover to sneak through without the spotlight.

Inside the warehouse complex, there were more guard stations, armored vehicles, and an assortment of weaponry Andrea hadn’t seen since her days on the front lines. She maneuvered through the lines and avoided the detection of the spotlights and snuck into one of the tents. Two more guards fell beneath her quick blades. Andrea dressed their bodies in a pile of canvas to remain undetected. More soldiers passed by, but did not notice their missing companions. Andrea slunk further into the shadows of the tent until the unit moved on. Andrea slid her assassin blade in and out of its hiding place several times as she waited. Her mentor called it undisciplined and energy wasting. Andrea just always liked the feel of it sliding in and out of position.

A symbol caught her eye- stamped on the side of the supply crate. It was sort of a triangle made with rhombi that never touched.

It was the symbol she had been chasing throughout the war. A symbol attached to one word.

Abstergo.

She had to be close now.

Andrea ducked from her cover and moved through the shadows along the warehouse building. She never stayed in one spot long enough for a guard to notice. Her feet made no noise and her cloak blended into every shade and contrast she leaned against. After the last unit passed, Andrea leapt from her hiding position and hooked into the side of the warehouse. Small blades on the tips of her boots dug into the mortar and her gloves had been enhanced to assist scaling buildings. She scaled up the side of the warehouse. There were no guards or sentries this high up. They were all pointed toward the fields.

Andrea paused at the top of the wall and watched as the spotlights panned to the south field. The Templars must have just noticed the havoc she wrecked. Six men, heavily armed, sprinted from the gate of the complex toward the outpost house. Another revved up an armored car and waited. While they investigated the house, it would buy her enough time to see exactly what the Templars were hiding.

She lifted herself up and found an open window at the top of the building with an easy view of the warehouse floor. There were no boxes, no state-of-the-art vehicles, no specially designed bombers, or weapons like the one that the United States dropped.

In fact, it was just a stand, a simple stand with a tiny golden fragment in the shape of a triangle set upon it.

Despite years of training and control, Andrea’s heart fluttered at the sight. She knew without confirmation- this was it. After years of hunting, it was real. It was beautiful. What could the Templars possibly want with it?

Three men approached the stand. Their uniforms were neither Nazi nor American, but something entirely differently. They bore the same symbol as the one on the boxes- the same symbol she had been tracking in conjunction to Templar activity in Europe. It was all connected. Andrea couldn’t wait to report to Harris. She had been bloody right this entire time.

Andrea shoved down her victory speech as the men got closer to the fragment. They were followed by several guards holding a bound man. The man struggled against his captors and the chains holding him to no avail.

“Tie him to the post.”

The one with the most decorations waved toward another area of the warehouse. The soldiers tied the man to the single post. It reminded her of the way the Nazis had so callously treated the lives of their prisoners and those in their camps. They didn’t see people, they saw a means to an end. Andrea suppressed the images in her head of the families she couldn’t save and the times she had been too late. Templars had been interspersed not only throughout the German forces, but in the American and European ranks too. To the Templars, the war and the lives lost had also been a means to an end.

“We’ve spent decades trying to perfect the technology to use these precursor objects. Our team of scientists newly re-located here in the United States from Germany have added the necessary components to take one step closer to harnessing a power greater than that of the bomb.”

“Clear space!”

The man who had been talking slid on a long glove filled with different markings, ones Andrea didn’t recognize. He approached the dais with reverence. Andrea could see the glow of the fragment reflected in his eyes. She thought of the devastation from Japan. They had assassins stationed there and others close enough to send harrowing accounts of the devastation. There was no way there could be anything close to the atomic bomb. It wasn’t possible; it couldn’t be possible, not in the hands of Templars.

He lifted the triangle piece from the stand with one hand and turned toward the man chained to the post. A blinding light erupted and filled the warehouse. Andrea gripped the window frame to stop herself from falling back. A bolt of light struck out from the man’s hand aimed at the bound man. A second later, the post, the chain, and several layers of the concrete beneath him were no more, barely even dust.

Andrea lifted a hand to her mouth.

“That is only a _fraction_ of the power contained in this vessel. Imagine the power of the atomic bomb held within one hand! This is just a taste of what the order has been financing. When you return to your leaders let them know we are on a path of inevitability! Fate, power, the world will be in our hands to shape as we decide is best!”

The third man in uniform finally spoke. “Yes, but it has been two years since you last resurfaced, Montemp. When should we expect you next time? Tomorrow? Twelve years from now? We want to see progress in this life time.”

“Not tomorrow, of course. No, we will be gone, moved to another facility. There are forces far more sophisticated than the assassins after this weapon. I expect to show the order something more substantial within the year. Now that we have our scientists from eastern Europe safely in our facilities here, we shall expect much faster progress.”

“Very well. And I assume you called us here for more than a demonstration.”

“I thought perhaps we could talk about finance.”

“No demonstration is ever free, but lucky for you and us, Montemp, the war has been a great boon for the order. Let’s discuss this matter over dinner.”

“Excellent. I am hosting a gathering where I hope to display this type of demonstration to more would-be-associates tomorrow.”

Andrea didn’t wait to see the three Templars leave the room. She needed to get in touch with the high command of the Brotherhood. There was no time. If they steal the fragment or find out about this Montemp, they could strike a crippling blow to the Templars and prevent that weapon from ever being used.

Her journey back across the field was quick. The Templars searched for intruders coming inside, not for ones trying to leave. She made her way back into town. There weren’t many reasons for a woman to be on the street without suspicion at night. Andrea always let it work to her advantage.

She knocked on the door of a house far enough away from the warehouse. Lights slowly flickered on in the windows. The sounds of feet coming down stairs and muffled voices could easily be heard. Andrea used her vision to see there were three bodies hovering around the door. Only one of them was armed.

The door inched open.

“I’ll warn you I’m armed.”

Andrea didn’t flinch, but her voice softened and pleaded. “Please don’t shoot, sir! My car broke down miles and miles back and I’ve been walking most of the night trying to find someone who will let me use their phone.”

The door opened all the way and a woman pushed down the barrel of the man’s gun.

“Not a problem, dearie, come in and you can use our phone. I’ll send my boy out tomorrow to retrieve your car, but you’ll be safe here.”

“Oh, thank you!”

Andrea made all the right smiles and pleasantries with the farm family. It wasn’t hard. Women were, according to most of society, harmless, especially now, after the war. There was an urgent desire for women to fade back from the front lines and away from manufacturing or anything that could perceived as masculine. Twenty minutes later, a bogus backstory, and a cup of hot tea, Andrea found herself alone with the telephone. She made certain to check no one was eavesdropping on the line with a small device her inventor friend had made.

She whispered. “Nothing is true.”

“Everything is permitted.” The man’s voice paused for only a moment. “Where have you been? Don’t tell me you’ve been chasing down that ridiculous power shape thingy again when we have bigger fish to fry.”

“Harris, listen. It’s real. I saw the fragment- it’s real and it’s terrifying. If the Templars figure out how to use it better than they already have, we’re looking at something much worse than the bomb.”

“You-you’re not joking.”

“No, of course not! I saw it with my own eyes which means you owe me five dollars.”

“I owe you nothing! You owe me, Andrea! I can’t believe you’re near a Templar stronghold, you need to get out of there! This is not the time for renegade assassins. There is movement all over our networks, the Templars are growing bolder despite the end of the war. We don’t have anyone close enough- assassins or allies to assist you if something should happen. I’m not close enough!”

“Nothing’s going to happen. They are moving the weapon tonight. Do you know anything about a Montemp?”

Harris paused. Andrea could hear a mumbled cuss word under his breath.

“I don’t know how you inadvertently stumble into every operation we’re running without trying.”

“I’m just that good.”

“I honestly hate you sometimes.” Harris ruffled through some paperwork on his end. “Montemp could be person of interest. We’ve had an assassin initiate running a small surveillance on a ‘Montemp’ with possible Templar connections. He has a place in Houston, Texas.”

“How far am I?”

“You’re kidding. Come on, Andrea, we can send the weight of the Brotherhood against this Montemp, not just you. I just need time to send this through the proper channels.”

“Not enough time. How far?”

“About a day of driving. He hosts quite the elaborate parties. I’ll contact the initiate who’s been tailing Montemp and have them acquire an invitation and cover for you. You’ll be posing as a potential Templar member. They seem to be recruiting a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs these days.”

“I can get him and the weapon all in one go.”

“I really wish you’d wait.”

“Nothing is true, Harris.”

He sighed. “Everything is permitted. I’ll make sure they are prepared for you.”

* * *

“Ms. Nicole Vera Maria, welcome to the Montemp estate. We are so very pleased to host you. Is this your first time in Texas?”

Andrea took the proffered hand of her assigned babysitter. She knew the deal. Templars were always cautious, but willing to welcome anyone with money, influence, and susceptible to their vision into the tertiary rings of their ranks. They normally assigned a handler to feel out any potential order member. The assassin initiate that Harris had contacted had done an admirable job securing her an invitation and a cover that would potentially get her through the Templar ranks without suspicion.

The dress code could have been better. Andrea preferred assassin leathers or simple dresses as opposed to the intricate and confining workings of an evening gown.

“Mr. Johnson, this is my first time this far west. It is much more civilized than my compatriots in the east would have wanted me to believe.”

“Soon, we’ll be further along than they will. We are leading industries all over the nation, but of course I am sure you already know that.”

Johnson had a knack for steering any part of their conversation back towards the industrial. His interests were land acquisition and industry development. Andrea wondered if the entire order was gearing toward a more industrial takeover as opposed to the war. They were still thriving while the assassins were just starting to pick up the pieces from a long tenuous war effort.

“I did. I am very interested to see what we can do for each other.”

Other guests moved around the room of the old newly refurbished mansion with grace and ease. There was a mixture of pre-war and post-war affluence, but every single attendee reeked of war profiteering. These were the men and women who made their fortunes selling and buying weapons, raw material, and acquiring the land of folks who could no longer afford their mortgages. Andrea had seen extravagant wealth all over the world, but this was something different. If she hadn’t been so focused on finding Montemp and the fragment, Andrea would have been hunting down leads- this was a Templar playground.

“Excellent, Ms. Vera Maria. I have a few people I would like you to meet, associates who’ve been working with us for several years.”

Mr. Johnson led her around the room. Hands shakes, pleasantries, this person-that person, a refugee from Europe, a military ranking personnel, owner of this corporation, etc. Dancing, drinks, and laughter erupted throughout Montemp’s estate, but there was no sign of the ranking Templar. Andrea leaned against the railing of the porch and gazed out of the estates. She adjusted the collar of her dress and clenched her fist out of habit. She imagined the satisfying sound of her blade going in and out of her bracer. This would be a colossal waste of time if Montemp wasn’t going to appear to his own party.

And she hated the pretense of it all. Andrea never cared to dress up or go undercover. She preferred the shadows. Harris often reminded her that those who wanted to move up the ranks of the Brotherhood eventually turned in their cloaks for pens and paper. Andrea reminded him that her family line had always managed to do both. Her hand curled in and out and mimicked how easily she would end Montemp’s life. She had seen death and destruction aided by the Templars first hand in her homeland; she wanted nothing more than to stop them here.

“Ah! Ms. Vera Maria!” Mr. Johnson’s voice called out.

Andrea contained her eye roll as she turned to meet him. She flashed him the most gracious smile she could muster.

“I thought I had lost you in all the great mingling! There was one last person I wanted you to meet!”

“Mr. Johnson, I thought you had introduced me to all the great gentlemen of this gatherin-” Andrea stopped as she noticed the figure standing directly next to Mr. Johnson. It was an outfit she should have been used to by now- a tailored three-piece suit, expertly darted, and pressed, but it wasn’t a man wearing the suit.

“I have the honor of introducing-”

“Thank you, Mr. Johnson.” The woman tapped her cane on the floor in front of him with polite authority. “I believe I can introduce myself. I am Kassandra.”

Andrea didn’t know why she hesitated to take the hand offered. Perhaps it was the way this Kassandra exuded an energy imminently different than any of the Templars in Montemp’s party. Perhaps it was the way she stood tall, wore her hair in a braid that hung gently over her shoulder, and seemed to possess awareness devoid of Templar corruption.

“It’s a true pleasure to meet another formidable woman at one of these affairs, Ms. Vera Maria.”

Or perhaps it was because this woman was simply the most arresting person at this affair.

Kassandra kept her hand extended until Andrea felt compelled to return the gesture. A simple handshake transformed into something much more. Andrea had always been fast - too fast as her mentor had said on more than one occasion- but Kassandra managed to turn her hand in the blink of an eye. The other woman placed a small kiss on the back of her hand like any gentleman would. It was a custom not followed by even the most traditional of men, yet nothing about it felt forced or engineered for show.

“Yes…” Andrea spoke slowly and focused on her eagle vision. Her eyes roved over Kassandra’s body, but found nothing, not even a hint of Templar taint. Just a faint blur of something else, nothing harmful. “...truly a pleasure. Your accent- I can’t place it. Greek?”

“In a way.” Kassandra flashed a sort of smile and released Andrea’s hand. “You have keen ears and sharp eyes.”

Andrea must have flinched at the mention of eyes. She had always had the eagle vision sight, it wasn’t something anyone except certain assassin members knew about. Everyone had the ability in them, but for some it came more easily than others. Her family always had a penchant for the talent. It didn’t make any sense that someone would comment on her ability.

“You were eyeing my cane.” Both of them glanced down to the object in Kassandra’s hand. “I was just explaining to Mr. Johnson it’s a bit of an heirloom.”

“A very very very unique one! I had hoped to purchase one like it, but my dearest Kassandra said it would be impossible.”

Johnson interjected so abruptly that Andrea had to blink several times. She had already forgotten him while wrapped in this woman’s presence.

“I just noticed that it was a very interesting symbol. One similar to the caduceus, correct?” Andrea couldn’t help but notice the easy way Kassandra’s fingers wrapped around the top of the cane. “Are you in the medical field?”

“An excellent observation, but I am not in the medical field. It’s sort of like a family symbol. It was passed down to me by my father.”

“Interesting. Passed down by your father…do you not have any brothers?”

“I did. Two in fact.”

When Kassandra didn’t offer any more regarding her brothers, Andrea nodded her head. “My sympathies. We all lost someone in the war.”

“Wars do have a way of taking. Very rarely do they give something in return.” Kassandra shrugged in a manner that conveyed something different than the sympathies Andrea offered. “Ms. Vera Maria, would you care to share a dance with me before the end of the evening? I believe we have some mutual interests.”

Mr. Johnson ruffled. This was not what he expected or hoped to get out of their introduction. A woman in a man’s suit, sure, but to so boldly ask one of his master’s guests to a dance. It was entirely outlandish. He sputtered, but Kassandra ignored him. Her eyes were centered solely on Andrea.

“I-” Again, Andrea paused. There was something unsettling about this Kassandra, but so different than the usual Templar. “-I must decline, Kassandra, I am already late and looking to retire soon. Perhaps a different occasion.”

“Of course, Ms. Vera Maria. Here-” Kassandra drew a silver card holder from the inside of her suit jacket. She passed the card facedown. “-my card. I have a feeling that your sharp eye will find something on it that may interest you. With that, I’ll take my leave. Mr. Johnson, please pass my compliments to your master. Whether he knows it or not, I believe our paths will cross very soon.”

“I’ll let him know.”

“Goodnight, Ms. Vera Maria. Until next time.” Kassandra gave a slight bow and walked away from the balcony.

The soft tap of her cane only accentuated the fluidity and power of her footsteps. Some people used canes to offset a bad gait or to exude power and status. Andrea had never seen someone walk with the confidence and assuredness that Kassandra possessed. If Andrea didn’t know better, she would have thought Kassandra a trained assassin, but that would be impossible. Even a Templar hunter who trained to kill assassins would have given off an aura of some kind. Kassandra’s aura revealed neither ally or foe, just a blurred shadow. Nothing alarming, but nothing Andrea had ever seen.

Kassandra’s words stuck in her head: _I have a feeling that your sharp eye will find something on it that may interest you._

Andrea lifted the card. It was blank on the front and the back. Odd. She focused her vision and almost let out a soft gasp. It was a symbol very similar to the assassin Brotherhood, but older, much older, and it had key variations. Andrea looked up to see where Kassandra had gone, but she was no longer in sight.

Who was this Kassandra?

“Ms. Vera Maria, if you’d like, I could show you to your guest room. Your trunk has already been delivered. Several of the evening’s guests will also spend the night. They normally take a nightcap in the parlor, but if you are tired from your journey you are under no obligation to join them.”

“Yes, thank you, Mr. Johnson. May I ask when Mr. Montemp will be arriving?”

“Sometime late this evening. His intention is to meet with anyone interested in joining our little business community tomorrow for breakfast, a small presentation on the values we foster, and then for a demonstration of the type of power and influence our organization wields.”

“Excellent. I’m looking forward to finally meeting him. I’ll go to my room now. It has been quite a journey. I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

Andrea hurriedly wished Johnson a good night in front of her door. She had a terrible desire to leave the evening dress behind and slip into her leathers. She missed the feel of her bracers. It would be a long night. Montemp’s arrival would be the perfect time to find the fragment and assassinate the key Templar leader. He would wish to be alone and relax from a long day of travelling.

She pushed open the door to her room and immediately sensed something was wrong. The light switched worked and illuminated the lush space. The decorations were marble and polished. The bedroom sprawled from the sitting room and revealed a balcony much like the one she stood on during the party.

But something wasn’t right.

Andrea casually walked toward her trunk in the center of the room. The hair on the back of her neck stood straight, but she suppressed the urge to show her unease. She popped the lid of the trunk and rooted through her clothes. They were undisturbed and, to her surprise, they hadn’t been tampered. Her cover for this operation had to be the smoothest one she had ever used. Whoever Nicole Vera Maria was, she was the perfect way in the Templar’s circle.

But something still didn’t feel right. Andrea couldn’t shake the feeling of danger.

She ran her finger along the lining of the trunk and heard a familiar click. With the same quiet ease, Andrea slowly slid her wrist through her bracer and secured it tightly.

It wasn’t sound, but the absence of sound that set off every instinct trained into her body. Andrea leapt up from the truck and slashed at the air behind her. Her assassin blade met with the hard metal of a cane head.

Her eyes locked with the mysterious Kassandra. Her blade strained against Kassandra’s immovable grip on her cane. Andrea grunted, but held her position.

“Who the fuck are you?”

For the effort Andrea exerted, Kassandra seemed completely unphased. Her grip was casual and seemed unconcerned that one false move would drive Andrea’s blade through her neck.

“We’ve already been introduced. You may call me Kassandra. If you don’t mind, I will call you by your real name, Andrea. Nicole Vera Maria is a mouthful and not in any sort of pleasurable way.”

Andrea felt whiplash. “How do you know-”

“I know many things.” Kassandra’s eyes sharpened. They glinted with danger and truth. “I know of your training. I know you are fast. I know that your enemies are aware that you’re not who you claim to be. I know that if you try to kill me, your night will end much faster than you anticipated.”

Andrea hated how every word Kassandra spoke was wrapped in urgent sincerity. Not one lie. It didn’t make any sense. She fought against every second of her training and instead of attacking, she pulled back. The tension between her blade and Kassandra’s cane released, but the tension between them would not ebb. Andrea needed answers.

“The symbol on the card. You knew I could see it. It’s old and not from our Brotherhood, but...you’re not an assassin.”

It was a statement of fact.

“No.”

“But you’re not a Templar.”

“No.”

“Then what are you?”

Kassandra tapped the point of her cane back into the floor in front of her. Her fingers curled over her family symbol similar to the way Andrea found herself sliding her assassin blade in and out of her bracer. The mysterious woman sported that same smile she had flashed on the balcony.

“I am what you would call an interested party.”

Andrea snorted and rolled her eyes. She pointed her blade out again with agitation. “You mean a waste of time. Whose side are you on?”

Kassandra remained unconcerned with the threat of Andrea’s blades. “Neither. I am not concerned directly with this conflict between what you call the assassins and the Templars.”

“Neither is only a position for mercenaries and profiteers. I dislike them both. Why are you in my room?”

Kassandra’s lip curled around the word mercenary, but she refrained from making any additional comments. She understood Andrea’s frustration. A few thousand years ago, Kassandra would have said the same thing.

“You are in danger. They know your plans and they’re prepared for you. There is no way you make it through this mansion alive. It is a trap.”

“If you’re not on either side, mercenary, why do you care if I die?”

Kassandra paused. She took a moment to truly regard Andrea. She had followed the groups tied to the Isu technology for so long, there were times it was hard to distinguish between them. Neither truly knew what they were doing. They only knew enough to cause harm; however, Kassandra understood there needed to be some semblance of a balance, for now. If she allowed this assassin to die, it would tip that balance to a point of no return. It was already skewed harshly against the Brotherhood.

“The truth you represent and your kind are dwindling in numbers. If I choose to do nothing and let you walk into this trap, I will have chosen a side, and that is not my part to play.”

Andrea had no idea what the hell Kassandra was talking about, but she still sensed sincerity in all of her words. She ignored most of what she considered the bullshit and cut right to the real question she had. “Will you try to stop me?”

Again, Kassandra regarded Andrea with such intensity that Andrea wondered if this Kassandra shared the same supernatural sight that ran through her family.

“You and your Brotherhood believe in free will. Choice is a powerful weapon perhaps more so than the one you are hunting. So no, I will not stop you, but I urge you to choose wisely.”

“I choose to end this evil before it can be unleashed.” Andrea snapped her assassin blade in and out to emphasize the point. “I suggest you don’t stand in my way.”

“I can’t say I expected a different answer.” Kassandra bowed her head in just the same fashion as when Andrea declined a dance at the party. “May the gods bless your blade, assassin.”

Andrea didn’t have a chance to give Kassandra a witty or sarcastic response. One moment Kassandra stood there and the next she was gone. Not even Andrea’s enhanced sight revealed a hint of where Kassandra had stood or any trace of her exit.

“May the gods bless my blade?” Andrea locked her door and checked the balcony for any lingering signs of Kassandra. She stripped out of her evening dress and donned a dark leather outfit. She attached her long blade to her belt and assembled the small service M1911A1 handgun from the bottom of her trunk. It wasn’t her favorite weapon, but when the need arose, she wasn’t opposed to using firearms. The war had made them impossible to avoid.

Andrea muttered under her breath as she finished prepping. “Fucking mysterious woman wearing a suit and vanishing. Can’t wait to tell Harris about this one. He’ll say something ridiculous like _Andrea, why can’t you have normal encounters? You have to find some tall Amazonian-like woman in a man’s suit waltzing in and out of walls with a cane? Preposterous! You’ve spent too much time with the Americans._ Tell me about it, Harris.”

Andrea continued having the hypothetical conversation with Harris until she had finished dressing. She inserted the ventilation piece into the face mask portion of her hood and hooked three smoke bombs to her belt.

If the Templars knew she was coming, she wouldn’t make it easy.

* * *

The mansion was quiet.

The party had long dispersed. The attendees had either gone to bed or gone home. Shadows lengthened down hallways lit by candles or moonlight. The trees that surrounded the estate creaked and whistled in the hot wind. Wildlife never slept, but even the crickets were eerily silent.

Andrea adjusted her grip on the spindles of the balcony four rooms down from hers and took a deep breath. She waited for the guard to pass above her. He wore army fatigues, but they weren’t of any standing military force she recognized. The uniform was something new- similar to the logo on the boxes at the warehouse. This new Templar front was impressive- uniforms, pseudo-military, supplies, and medical equipment like she saw at the warehouse. The Brotherhood would need to know about it as soon as she completed her mission.

The guard passed and moved onto the next room. Andrea easily pulled herself up and slipped into the shadows against the wall. She peered down the hallway. Three more guards made their rounds. There was nothing unusual. They seemed as relaxed as she had ever seen men patrolling on duty. Perhaps this Kassandra was mistaken. They didn’t know she was coming. They were barely prepared for an intruding racoon, much less, a master assassin. She would be in and out before anyone was the wiser.

Andrea slipped from her cover as the closest guard walked passed her position. He died soundlessly. His body crumbled into Andrea’s waiting arms. She aided him into the corner of the hallway against a large vase and tucked him into the shadows. The next two guards went down with the same ease. Andrea pressed herself flat against a wall at the sound of more guards. Her vision revealed security had heightened in the last several minutes, but as far as she could tell, there was nothing more valuable.

What were they guarding?

A golden tint caught her attention. Two guards stood suspiciously with their backs against a blank area in the corridor. It had to be a false wall. Andrea made quick work of the sentries and pressed the button hidden in the crown molding. The hidden door groaned as it released.

A woman’s voice greeted her. “You’re early.”

Andrea almost jumped out of her skin, but this time she didn’t flash her blade in Kassandra’s face. She scowled in the mysterious woman’s direction.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to stop me.”

“I’m not.” Kassandra stepped out of the shadows. A soft light illuminated from the head of her cane and filled the dark corridor connected to the false wall door.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to destroy something that I should have destroyed many years ago when I had the chance.”

“The weapon? That’s why you’re here? I can’t let you take it. I don’t know you. I don’t trust you. I’m taking it back to the Brotherhood where it will be kept safe.”

Kassandra shook her head. “It’s been in the hands of the Brotherhood before and they abused it just like the Templars.”

“That’s not possible. The Brotherhood doesn’t even believe in its existence.”

“Andrea, I’m not your enemy and I’m sure you can see beyond this corridor there is a small army waiting for you. I could take the device right now and be gone. They would never know I was here.”

Andrea focused her vision through the passageway. There were dozens of soldiers armed and pointing their guns directly at the only point of access into the room that had to hold the fragment. She could see the brilliant triangle shape even from this distance. Again, she hated that Kassandra was right.

“If you can take it without anyone knowing and leave, why don’t you?”

“Because I made a promise a very long time ago to help maintain the balance. Your death would destroy that balance.”

“My death?” Andrea snorted. She had seen death up close. It didn’t care who live or who died- it just took. Her death would be like the millions that had already occurred during the war and to pretend otherwise was foolish. Any naïve understanding of life and death had been eviscerated by living through the war. “What do you propose?”

“Allies...” Kassandra offered her left arm out. “...just for the night.”

Andrea peered once more into the guarded room. There were no ventilation ducts, no windows, no points of vantage where she could gain access. A smoke bomb could provide a small amount of cover, but with the amount of guns and men, there was a high chance she would be struck several times no matter how quickly she worked. Around the top of the room there was a cat crawl with snipers stationed and prepared to fire at any moment. It would be impossible to enter without risking death or serious injury.

“Fuck. Fine. I hope you’re as good as you say you are.” Andrea reached out and firmly clasped Kassandra’s arm. “ _Just_ for the night.”

“ _Just_ for the night.” Kassandra must have found something amusing. She flashed Andrea a wicked smirk and held onto her arm tight. “To battle!”

“To battle-? Wha-?”

Andrea tried to wrest back control of her arm, but it was too late. One moment they were in the corridor, the next they were engulfed by a blinding light. Andrea’s vision cleared. She couldn’t believe where she was. She flexed her hand, but Kassandra’s arm was gone and Andrea realized that she stood behind the snipers on the catwalk in the great room.

Andrea blinked. What the fuck just happened?

She cleared her eyes again and noticed a shimmering figure casually strolled toward two completely unaware guards on the ground floor beneath the sniper perch. They were so focused on the door, they had no idea danger was already behind them.

Kassandra winked in Andrea’s direction before she smashed her cane into the face of the first unsuspecting guard. The second one never stood a chance, Kassandra disappeared in a flash of light only to reappear directly behind him and drive a sword through his backside. Two guards dead in a matter of two seconds in the middle of the room.

Kassandra definitely had the attention of every Templar in the room.

“THEY’RE HERE! SOUND THE ALARMS!”

Kassandra blinked away again and landed on the top of another guard, this time her cane flickered to the shape of an assassin blade as it drove through his vulnerable side. A second later it morphed into an ornate bow. She dismounted from the dead soldier in a flying arch through the air. Four guards went down in succession felled by golden arrows that shimmered with the same other worldly light that surrounded Kassandra.

Andrea found her jaw wouldn’t un-drop. She stood transfixed and watched Kassandra decimate the Templar forces with ease. Who the fuck was this Kassandra?

“TURRETS! SOMEONE START SHOOTING THE FUCKING TURRETS!”

The familiar sound of machine guns winding and the pop pop pop of bullets releasing from their chambers at deadly speeds ripped Andrea away from watching Kassandra. Andrea didn’t know how she ended up behind enemy lines. One moment she held Kassandra’s hand, the next she was conveniently the furthest away from the fight and in the best position to take down the snipers and the turrets.

She snapped out of her shock; her training took over. Andrea sunk her blades into the neck of the nearest sniper. She flung two knives in the direction of the second and third. Neither of them completed their shots aimed for Kassandra.

The turrets rattled and echoed throughout the chamber. Every bullet casing bounced on the floor. The tap tap tap counted the speed of Andrea’s sprint pounding across the catwalk. She soared through the air and landed on top of the nearest turret. The operator jumped in surprised and tried to shake her from the turret but it was too late. Andrea sliced through him with her short blade and flipped him over the edge of the walk into the center of the room. He landed on another soldier. The second turret turned its aim toward an unsuspecting Kassandra, but before he could kill her, Andrea sliced at his fingers off the controls and then finished him.

The remaining soldiers scattered.

Only Kassandra remained on the bottom floor; a ring of bodies surrounded her, but she seemed unharmed. Not a drop of blood stained her suit and she rested easily on her cane and looked up to where Andrea perched on the last turret.

“I hope my performance was to your standard, Ms. Frye.”

Andrea didn’t know why the mention of her family name shook her more than anything else Kassandra had done. It was a bit of information that she kept mostly to herself. The Frye name came with quite a reputation especially among assassins. She tried not to let her surprise show. “I think we’ll keep our alliance for the night, but you left your back exposed to that final turret.”

Kassandra’s eyes twinkled with amusement once again. “Did I? Seemed like you had the situation handled.”

Andrea hated how she felt compelled to share Kassandra’s smile and that Kassandra was right. Whether intentional or accidental, they had each other’s backs. “So…”

Their eyes drew toward the dais where the fragment of the Isu artifact rested. Kassandra took the first steps. Andrea nimbly landed on the floor right behind her.

“Wait!”

Kassandra paused at the feel of Andrea’s hand on her arm. She turned and faced the assassin. Her eyes softened as if she could feel the misgivings behind Andrea’s touch.

“I should still take this to my people.”

“I know you have no reason to trust me, but I will destroy it right here in front of you. It should have been destroyed many years ago. It is best this way. I give you my word.”

“I shouldn’t trust you…” Andrea said, but she knew it too late. She trusted Kassandra even when every assassin teaching went against her gut. “I’ve already seen so much death. I don’t want to see anymore. If you can destroy it...”

Kassandra slowly raised her hand and brushed Andrea’s cheek with the backside of her hand. Andrea sucked in a breath of surprise at the touch; at the closeness. It was unexpected.

Everything about Kassandra was unexpected.

Kassandra leaned in and softly whispered. “If I could grant your wish to see no more death, I would, but your work is just beginning. The next war won’t be fought with tanks and airplanes, but with technologies and economies. You’ve seen the beginning of it here. I can’t stop that, but I can destroy this weapon so you will never see destruction in your lifetime like you witnessed during the war.”

Andrea tried to ignore the warmth and security that Kassandra’s touch offered. It seemed unreal. Any moment she would wake up.

“Do it.”

“Choice is never easy.” Kassandra slowly pulled her hand away. “Thank you for helping me correct one of my mine. It is a burden I wish to finally put to rest.”

Kassandra approached the dais. She flipped her cane in the air. As it spun, it shimmered in gold light. It took the appearance of a sword then a large beautiful staff decorated like the caduceus until it finally settled in the form of a broken spear head.

Kassandra mounted the first step to the platform, but stopped. The air in front of the fragment wavered. She adjusted her pose and prepared for an attack.

Her spearhead lifted and she pointed to the emptiness between her and the fragment. “Show yourself!”

Montemp stepped into the space next to the fragment with a condescending sneer. He regarded Kassandra and Andrea with satisfied victory. Before Kassandra could make a move, he picked up the fragment with reference and familiarity. He held it close to his ear like a sea conch to listen to the sound of the waves.

He wagged his other finger in Kassandra’s direction. “Don’t think about doing anything with your powers, Kassandra. You are not the only one who knows things. I know who you are and why you’ve come. I’ve heard her whisper to me from inside the artifact.”

“You shouldn’t listen to anything that comes out of that fragment. It’s broken. I destroyed all the other pieces. So whatever it’s telling you is only a part of a much greater whole. Every prophecy and vision it fills in your head is tainted.”

“The device might be incomplete, but she’s wholly inside and guiding my hand. I trust her vision; not mine. I trust in her completely. She still wishes that you would have trusted her when you were given the chance.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Aspasia. She calls herself Aspasia and that she would be very hurt if you had forgotten her. It was you who kissed her and let her escape with this fragment all those years ago.”

Kassandra growled and mounted the next step. “Oh, I remember Aspasia. I don’t know how she’s talking to you or how she’s inside the fragment, but I will end you and her both tonight to correct that mistake.”

“She says you wound her with your violent words.”

“I will do more than that.” Kassandra took another step forward.

“Not another step, _misthios_!” Montemp shouted and raised the last fragment of the Isu device above his head.

Kassandra growled again at the nickname. It had been a very long time since someone had called her that. It brought back memories and emotions. She had been so young and foolish to ever let Aspasia whisper lies about changing and abandoning the cult. It had been an error of earnest youth. She had been so blinded by the love of her family and the drunk from victory over the cult. She never thought that small choice would haunt her for centuries.

“Give me the fragment now.”

“I will hand the device over, but-” Montemp smiled and looked beyond Kassandra. “-Aspasia guarantees me the winning strategy against you is to always give you a choice. So here is your choice tonight, _misthios_ , come after me and destroy the device or let me go and save your assassin pet. Aspasia says you’ve always had a weakness for women.”

Kassandra whipped around. Thousands of years and she still let Aspasia get the upper hand. Her heart sank.

Andrea struggled against the bonds on her wrists, but it was useless. She let her guard down listening to Kassandra and Montemp banter back and forth. Their conversation held more truths and secrets than anything she could have imagined. She had so many questions, but being distracted had been a rookie mistake. She felt the muzzle of a handgun on the back of her head and the bruises on her sides from the Templar hunter’s vicious attacks. He had been brutal and silent.

So while Kassandra had fought with her past. Andrea had fought several hunters alone.

She could feel every bone in her body and the several places where she had been stabbed. One place in particular felt fatal. She had given death blows far too many times to pretend she wasn’t going to bleed out. Her shirt stained. Blood spread and seeped through her clothes. Andrea lifted her head and caught Kassandra’s eye. “Get the weapon! My life is not worth millions. I’m already good as dead.”

Montemp teased. “Choices, Kassandra! You’ll only have one opportunity to use that power of yours in time.”

Andrea pleaded. “You promised me that you would end it! Do it!”

Kassandra pointed the end of her spear in Montemp’s direction; it morphed back into the shape of the staff. “I will find you, Aspasia. This is not over.”

“She says she looks forward to continuing this game of cat and mouse.” Montemp shouted to the hunter. “Finish off the assassin! And if you somehow manage to kill Kassandra, bring me that _fucking_ staff of hers!”

Andrea closed her eyes and heard the click of the gun hammer. Everything erupted in a flash of light.

* * *

“Andrea! Andrea!” Harris yelled and ran across the street. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Andrea! Andrea! Stay with me! Stay with me! Come on! Open your eyes!”

Andrea heard Harris screaming at her. She knew she should open her eyes, but it was so hard. Everything felt like fire and pain, but she was alive. She couldn’t believe it, but she was alive.

Somehow -no- someone -Kassandra-

Kassandra had chosen her. Andrea forced her eyes open and coughed. “Harris…”

“You’re awake! Oh my god! Don’t move. For once in your bloody fucking life listen to me and don’t move. There’s a doctor on the way, one we can trust. We’re going to take care of you. How are you here? I thought you were in bloody America!”

“I was. I am. Where am I?”

“London. You’re at our new headquarters. I haven’t even told you about it. How did-? I don’t understand.” Harris shook his head in disbelief. “Andrea...what happened to you?”

“I- Harris, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Whatever it was, I’m just happy you’re safe. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Andrea closed her eyes again. She couldn’t remember anything after the bright light. The only thing she could remember was Kassandra’s voice. _“May the gods bless your blades, Andrea Frye. We will meet again.”_


	2. Part 2

PART **2**

 _Three years later and somewhere in “bloody America” once again-_  
_Chicago 1947_

“Andrea, I just wish for once we could come to some sort of agreement.”

“What more do you want?” Andrea spoke into the personal radio device- a short distance communication device her inventor friend modified to make communication more portable. “We both agree that the Brotherhood is not taking this Templar corporation Abstergo seriously.”

“Yes, but-”

“And we both agreed that if we had another chance to take down Montemp we would do it. So, what’s the question?”

“Andrea, it’s not a question...just a concern…”

“What’s the concern?” Andrea placed the communication device down and pulled up the straps of her dress. She slipped several knives inside the lining and her favorite one along the backside zipper. “We’ve done the recon and we have the perfect cover story. There’s no concern here. It’s been three years since we’ve even had a whiff of Montemp. I’m not letting him go.”

“Andrea, that’s just it! We haven’t heard a single fucking word about this guy for years and then he suddenly resurfaces and in the city we just so happen to be assigned?”

“And your point, Harris?”

“My point is...I don’t want to see you end up like you did last time.”

Andrea cast her eyes out the window of her prep room toward where she knew Harris was running their operations on Beech Street. Even though she knew he couldn’t see her, she could see him with her enhanced vision from this distance- a faint outline of green. He hunched over his desk and wrestled with his decision to finally say the real reason why he didn’t want Andrea to attend Montemp’s party.

“Harris, it won’t be like last time. I promise.”

“Dre, you were a wreck. I pieced you back together. You could have been killed by those assassin hunters. The council almost didn’t reinstate you.”

“But they did thanks to you.” Andrea secured the gloves that matched her dress and also happened to contain her blades. “Harris, you know I love the way you mother me, but you didn’t see what this weapon can do. They’ve already had it for three years too many. It ends tonight. I can’t take another night not sleeping and knowing it’s out there.”

“I know. I know. I just worry about you.”

“Well, I won’t have you far. I’ll radio into you when I’m in a good position.”

“Don’t take too long.”

“I won’t.”

Andrea tucked the radio into the hidden compartment in her handbag and finished the final touches on her hair. It would have been easier to scale the apartment building and cross the street from above, but it would also blow her cover. It was hard to imagine not being an assassin and only living on the ground. She pitied the men and women she passed. They would never know what it was like to soar across the rooftops of their own city. She looked up once more toward Harris and his window. He leaned against the window frame with the same expression he always had when they disagreed. Andrea might have felt bad, but Harris hadn’t seen Montemp or the device. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand.

Montemp spared no expense when he chose the location of his latest recruitment party. The museum and gala entrance had armed men dressed in suits overshadowed by two large lion statues. The men greeted each guest with a smile, but Andrea could see their handguns tucked neatly in their jacket pockets. If she looked close enough, Andrea would have bet the guns, the bullets, and even the clipboard holding the guestlist were all manufactured and produced by the Abstergo company.

The Brotherhood was foolish to ignore Abstergo. It wasn’t a normal Templar front. It was something more.

“Welcome ma’am. Please state your name.”

“Carrie Beth Foster. I should be under my family name and business, the Sweeper Vacuum Company. My father is unable to attend tonight.”

The two guards paused and quickly consulted with each other. Andrea continued to smile pleasantly. Mr. Foster had been delayed by two other assassins tonight and his daughter was out of the country. It had been the best cover.

“I hope it’s not any trouble. My father felt terrible about being delayed. He didn’t think it would be a problem. He was so upset that he wouldn’t make it, but wanted someone he trusted at Mr. Montemp’s party.”

The two guards finished whispering with each other and waved her forward. “Not a problem at all, Ms. Foster. We’ll make sure that the guest book has your name. We are honored to have you. Would you like an escort?”

“No, that will be wholly unnecessary. I know quite a few people attending. I can manage myself. Thank you.”

Andrea purposely took her time. She entered the party with an air of confidence. Unlike last time, she didn’t want to get saddled with a babysitter following her. If Montemp was truly here, he wouldn’t keep the device far. Andrea remembered the crazed look in his eyes when he lifted the artifact. He would keep it close.

Andrea took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and smiled pleasantly at the few who nodded in her direction. She focused her vision. The room erupted in a series of colors and outlines. There were guards outlined in a dull red posted at the doors, most people barely gave off an aura, but there were some in the crowd who appeared bright red.

Assassin hunters.

Andrea tried not to instinctively react, but she felt the ghost of the blade that pierced her left side. It healed years ago, but in the presence of hunters, she had a hard time forgetting the pain. Besides hunting down any trace or rumor of Montemp, Andrea had spent the past two years assassinating any hunter that came through the Brotherhood’s information channels. Harris had tried to discourage her. He had gone so far as to hide or downplay any of the reports that filtered through their London and Chicago branches.

She had six notches on her knife hilt.

Harris said it was the most any single assassin had killed in over eighty years. Andrea never cared for numbers. She just wanted to kill the hunter who stabbed her.

“You must be the vacuum heiress that we’ve heard so much about from your father Arthur.”

Andrea smiled at the man who had just caught her arm. She dipped her head. “Guilty as charged.”

“Guilt is exactly what you should be feeling! Do you know how often my wife asks for the newest vacuum model?” The man tapped his cigarette on the tray of a passing waiter. “Not for her of course, but for the maid. She thinks it helps motivate her to clean more efficiently. If you ask me, I think it’s all a tremendous money pit that I’m jealous I didn’t get rights to the patent for.”

“My guess is the only reason you think it’s a money pit is because you’ve never had to clean a carpet before Mr…?” Andrea hated playing this game. She had things to do and Montemp to find, but if she even gave off an ounce of suspicion, it would be Texas all over again.

“Mr. Johnson.”

Andrea almost said that he didn’t look like the previous Mr. Johnson, but she feared that would blow her cover. Was Mr. Johnson a code name or something at these parties?

“I noticed that you came here alone. I would love to show you around and introduce you to some of the more prominent guests. We’ve been waiting to bring your family to one of our parties for a very long time.”

“That would be…” Andrea tried to control the annoyance she felt all over. “...wonderful. Lead the way, Mr. Johnson.”

Andrea couldn’t believe that she was essentially reliving her night in Texas with a new Mr. Johnson. Did the universe hate her? Or was she truly not fated to put an end to Montemp’s power over the artifact weapon? Andrea made all the customary small talk and laughed when prompted. Honestly, she couldn’t understand how anyone chose to live their lives like this. She hated it.

“And finally, Ms. Foster, I would like to introduce you to-”

Andrea felt Kassandra’s presence before Johnson even started the introduction. She didn’t notice Kassandra’s aura the first time they met. She had just thought it blurred or smudged, but after watching Kassandra blink in and out of existence, Andrea understood that Kassandra’s presence wasn’t obscured, but a shimmer in her vision.

“Thank you, Mr. Johnson.” Kassandra tapped her cane on the floor in front of him exactly as she had done the first time they met. “We need no introduction. We are old acquaintances.”

Andrea hadn’t wanted to even consider the possibility of seeing Kassandra again. She had spent countless nights unable to sleep thinking about Montemp, but also thinking about the woman standing directly in front of her. Years of assassin training didn’t prepare her for the flood of emotions she felt. Her heart sped up even as Kassandra took her hand and pressed a small kiss in greeting.

“It has been a long time…” Andrea’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Kassandra’s dark eyes held Andrea’s gaze with such intensity that Andrea was certain they were now the only people in the room. Everything blurred around Kassandra- everything.

“Too long…”

Andrea blinked and turned to Mr. Johnson with a perfunctory nod. “Mr. Johnson, thank you, but if you’ll excuse us. I promised my friend a dance at a previous engagement that I never fulfilled. We can continue our chat later.”

“But-”

“As the lady said, thank you, Mr. Johnson.”

Andrea didn’t hear anything else after she took Kassandra’s arm. They moved to the dance floor. There were quite a few eyes tracking them now. During any other operation, Andrea would have cursed herself for drawing so much attention, but Kassandra slipped her arm around her waist and Andrea suddenly forgot most of her misgivings.

Andrea allowed Kassandra to guide them onto the dance floor. Her steps were practiced and perhaps because Kassandra was a woman, she led like no man Andrea had ever danced with. She held Andrea with confidence and guided them with strength that never overpowered. Andrea finally met Kassandra’s eyes.

“Let me guess, I’m already in danger.”

“You always seem to be, Ms. Frye. Danger follows you like a shadow.”

“I don’t think danger is my only shadow.”

Andrea caught the way Kassandra licked her bottom lip in amusement, but offered no rebuttal. She turned Andrea in her hands and gracefully spun them to the far side of the room where it was a little darker, the mood a little more secretive, and the people less populous. Kassandra pulled her further into the shadows.

Andrea found herself anticipating the small touches and the way Kassandra spoke with her hands more than her words. They pushed up against the far wall. Kassandra pressed closer, but her eyes travelled down the hall. Andrea tried to concentrate on anything, but the proximity of Kassandra’s body.

“The fragment isn’t here.”

“Then what are we doing?” Andrea almost pushed Kassandra off. “This is a waste of time.”

“I came because I need your help to retrieve it. I know where Montemp keeps it.”

“You don’t need my help to do anything. I’ve seen what you can do.”

“I’ve also seen what you can do. I realize I made a mistake last time. I truly do need your assistance.”

Andrea didn’t know what to believe. It felt too outlandish that Kassandra had come to this party just to ask for her help. “Where is it?”

Kassandra tilted her head into Andrea as a Templar guard in uniform carrying a gun walked past them. “While it’s easier to talk in this corner, I’d prefer to do it somewhere completely different. This gives us a cover, but only for so long.”

Andrea noticed the furtive glances in their direction and the hushed whispers. Her cheeks heated. “They think we are lovers.”

“Not if you don’t kiss me.” Kassandra teased and took one more glance down the long hallway.

It was almost clear. They could make an escape and Montemp would be none the wiser that they had once again crashed his party. She turned back to share the information, but soft, insistent lips caught her words. Kassandra hadn’t expected Andrea to respond to her teasing, but by the gods, it had been so long since she felt something even close to the way she felt about this assassin.

Andrea didn’t know what she was doing. All she knew is she had spent years trying to forget Kassandra and in a matter of moments, all she wanted was Kassandra. The kiss was soft, Andrea wasn’t quite sure if Kassandra had been serious or not, but the movement that came after was too real to ignore as anything but serious. Kassandra returned the kiss with a soft moan. The warrior completely abandoned watching the guards. Kassandra’s hands slipped around Andrea’s waist with the same gentle strength she had shown while dancing. Andrea arched off the wall for a better angle. Kassandra’s hand dipped down to her hip then climbed up her abdomen and ribs. Kassandra’s fingers ran along the underside of her breast over the material of her dress.

Andrea gasped inside their kiss and pulled away. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Kassandra’s breath heated the side of her neck as if she wasn’t ready to end their embrace. Andrea wasn’t either, but-

“Fuck.” Andrea sighed and met Kassandra’s questioning, but hungry gaze. “That was for our cover only.”

Kassandra didn’t want to let Andrea go so quickly, but this was not the time or the place. They were in danger the longer they stayed. “A more than convincing cover even from an assassin of your skill. Perhaps you could show me more...”

Andrea fought how much she wanted to drag Kassandra back to the hideout. “Montemp first.”

“Montemp second.” Kassandra pulled her cane out of her jacket. “He’ll expect us. We attack in the morning. He’s not going anywhere tonight. I promise.”

Andrea hesitated, but felt the heat building between them. There was no denying it. Standing in front of Kassandra, there was more desire than she ever wanted to admit. Andrea wanted revenge and the device, but some part of her deep down knew that if she found Montemp, Kassandra wouldn’t be far.

“Do you trust me?”

Andrea swallowed hard and pressed a soft kiss to Kassandra’s neck. “Yes.”

Light shone through Kassandra’s shirt. Andrea reached out. Her fingers brushed along the hard outline of a necklace. If she had to guess, it would have been in the shape of the caduceus. It continued to shine and grow in brightness until Kassandra’s light consumed them.

Andrea knew what came next.

* * *

The light ebbed.

Andrea opened her eyes and didn’t know what she expected. “My prep room?”

“Is that what assassins call it?” Kassandra gave a fake frown. “How descriptive.”

“Hey!” Andrea gave Kassandra’s shoulder a small shove. “I didn’t ask you to judge my apartment.”

“Oh, so now it’s your apartment?” Kassandra continued to tease her.

“Until Montemp is taken care of.” Andrea threw her bag on the desk and pulled out her comms. “I have to check in with Harris or he’ll start to worry more.”

“Of course. He’s a good man.”

Andrea noted the way Kassandra spoke of Harris like it was a fact. If she had to guess, Kassandra had looked into Harris to assure that he was ‘a good man’. The thought of Kassandra vetting the assassin operatives around her sent a shiver down her body. Harris had always looked after her, but the way Kassandra did it felt vastly different. Kassandra leaned against the wall. The cane rested easily on the floor in front of her. The braid in her hair was out of the current style, but somehow Kassandra wore hers like a queen or a deity wrapped in leather thongs that Andrea could only imagine on some mythical figure.

Andrea hated the way that she had trouble focusing on the mission around Kassandra.

“Harris-”

“Andrea, thank heavens! It’s been almost two hours! You said you would check in as soon as possible.”

“Harris, I know you’re not much for the field, but sometimes it takes a bit of time to get into position-” Andrea cut off. She felt a strong hand wrap around her midsection and invite her to pull back. Instinctively, Andrea arched back and pressed her backside into Kassandra’s body. She closed her eyes and bit her lip to stop any sound she wanted to make.

“I’m not an idiot, Andrea. I know you’ve got to work your way around. I just thought you’d check in a little sooner. I was beginning to worry.”

“Beginning? You’ve been worried since I met you.” Andrea forced a laugh to cover the noises Kassandra’s hands sought to elicit from her. “Harris, I found who I wanted-” She felt her cheeks redden at the subconscious slip of words. “-what I wanted.”

“Great! What’s the next move? Where are you right now? Oh my god, you’re not actually making a move are you? We talked about this! You promised we’d do this operation together. Not like last time. Last time was bad- the worst.”

Andrea tilted her head. Kassandra pressed small insistent kisses up her neckline. Her teeth caught the bottom of her earlobe with an ignorable tug. Andrea moaned. It was harder to breathe; certainly, harder to focus. “Harris- I’m safe. I’m not even at the party anymore. I’m going to wait out the night and make my move in the morning.”

“Okay, when should I meet up with you? I can come over now. Let’s get this done and then we can be on the first barge back home. London is calling. I can practically hear her.”

Kassandra’s other hand found the hem of Andrea’s dress. She played with the edges, grasped the material, but never touched. She wanted Andrea to want it more than anything. Every time she squeezed her hand and bunched the dress, Kassandra loved the way she could feel Andrea’s entire body clench. It was intoxicating. Andrea reached down to Kassandra’s hand and pushed it beyond the fabric. Kassandra opened her hand and wrapped her fingers around the inside of her thigh over the hosing. Andrea’s eyes asked- begged for Kassandra to touch her.

It was everything Kassandra wanted.

“Harris-” Andrea’s breathing hitched. Kassandra’s hand slipped between her thighs. Andrea leaned forward and placed her free hand on the flat surface of the desk. She spread her legs further apart. “I’m going to get some sle-ep. I’ll find you in the morning before anything happens. I won’t make a move on Montemp without you.”

“Andr-”

Andrea turned off the device and tossed it on her trunk several feet away.

She put both hands flat on the desk and hung her head. Her mouth dropped open. Kassandra’s hand worked slowly, methodically between her legs. She massaged Andrea’s inner thigh and tugged at the last bit of material stopping her from touching where Andrea desperately wanted her. Andrea couldn’t take it any longer. She reached and pushed her panty hose down and kicked them off with her heels. If Kassandra felt tall before, she towered now…Her calloused fingers sent uneven sensations through Andrea’s body. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like if Kassandra was inside and touching her the same way.

“Fuck.”

Andrea turned around. Kassandra patiently waited for her lead; she leaned on the desk edge on either side of Andrea’s hips. The position brought Kassandra closer, but never close enough. It was as if Kassandra knew the effect she had on Andrea.

She remained at the small distance and asked with those same hungry eyes. “Is this okay?”

Andrea had only tasted defeat once, but in that moment, she would accept any fate just to finally have Kassandra consume her.

“I’ve spent the last three years thinking about what I’d say if I ever saw you again.”

Andrea felt the buttons of Kassandra’s button down and vest. She couldn’t escape the thought of how easily it would be to push that jacket from her shoulders. “Now, all I can think about is what I want to do to you-”

Andrea reached up and slid her hands all the way up Kassandra’s shirt and tucked them beneath the shoulders of Kassandra’s sharp dress jacket. “-what I want you to do to me.”

Kassandra burned as Andrea’s hands ghosted over her abs and lingered a moment over her breasts. It was bold. It caught Kassandra off her game. She hadn’t expected Andrea to reciprocate her advances.

Kassandra shuddered at Andrea’s directness. “ _-what I want you to do to me._ ” It had been so long since anyone had made her care, made her feel the way Andrea did. Kassandra’s hands went from the desktop to Andrea’s sides. A sudden swift shift brought their hips together. Kassandra bunched the material of Andrea’s dress in her hands and hiked her ass up to the desk ledge.

Andrea’s ankles hooked around Kassandra’s backside and made sure there was little room between them. She hissed as Kassandra’s belt buckle pushed into her center. She wanted more than the belt buckle. Andrea yanked at the tie and forcefully pulled it undone. The motion brought Kassandra’s lips within distance. Kassandra groaned and rocked her hips as they shared a kiss full of desperate desire. Andrea took care of Kassandra’s belt while they kissed; it landed somewhere between her heels and the dress jacket.

Kassandra pulled down the zipper on the back of Andrea’s dress, but her eyes kept travelling to the space between them. The buttons of her shirt popped one at a time. Every inch Andrea uncovered, she covered with lips, tongue, and-

-teeth. Kassandra didn’t expect Andrea to bite so hard. She hissed. “ _Malaka_.”

Andrea caught Kassandra’s eyes before she did it again. Kassandra opened her mouth in a wordless moan of pleasure and pain.

“Kassandra…” Andrea whispered halfway down Kassandra’s naked chest. “Take off my fucking dress. I need to feel you.”

Clothes scattered around. Weapons secreted around Andrea’s body made it to the floor. Knives, blades, and lockpicks hit the floor and bounced with abandon. Kassandra pushed flush against her naked body. The heat and contact were almost unbearable. Andrea locked eyes with Kassandra as she felt the familiar drag of Kassandra’s fingers making their way between her legs.

It wasn’t enough to feel Kassandra’s bare skin pressed against hers. Andrea wanted more; needed more like nothing she had ever felt in her life. She clung to the back of Kassandra’s neck to find purchase on the most solid thing in her grasp. All the foreplay didn’t compare to the actual feel of Kassandra entering her. Andrea bit hard into Kassandra’s shoulder and fully arched off the desk. Kassandra buried her face between Andrea’s breasts. Her hot exhales fluctuated and sped up as she glided in and out of Andrea’s trembling body. The tension wound so tight, Andrea felt she might break until finally the pleasure ripped through her. She shook and gasped at the intense wave after wave. Kassandra kissed the space between her chest and ran her tongue along her hard nipples. Every touch started another round of pleasure as if Kassandra wouldn’t be satisfied until Andrea collapsed from exhaustion.

Light spread from the caduceus necklace and spread between their bodies as Andrea rode out the last of her orgasm. She could hear her wetness on Kassandra’s fingers as she patiently pulled out. For a moment, they stayed perfectly still, tangled in each other. The sound of their hearts drowned out any noise from the city streets below.

Andrea caught Kassandra’s wrist. Their eyes met- the lazy contentment they had just indulged quickly retreated. Hot anticipation took its place. Kassandra shuddered. Her still coated fingers slipped between Andrea’s lips. The assassin pushed back on Kassandra’s shoulders.

“We’re not done yet.”

* * *

Time seemed to move differently around Kassandra.

Andrea’s body ached; her lips were swollen and her muscles strained. She stretched out across the bed she had barely used. The promise of catching up to Montemp had been more important than sleep. Kassandra’s arm naturally shifted from her hip bone and rested on the small of her back. Her fingers continued to trace small circles along her skin. If Andrea hadn’t been so spent, she would have melted right back into another round. Even now, she was still tempted. Kassandra’s touches found tender spots, soft untouched places. Andrea quietly wondered if it was from years of fighting and knowing the body so intimately.

Andrea wrestled with sleep. Kassandra was so comfortable, but Andrea feared at any moment, she would blink and Kassandra would be gone.

Kassandra tilted her head. “What are you thinking about?”

“For a while, I told myself you were this figment of my imagination that I created to deal with the emotional trauma of almost dying.” Andrea fought with admitting more. What kind of assassin cares about a woman she’d barely known for twenty-four hours? “Nothing about you makes sense. I still don’t know where you’re from-” Andrea paused before she said the real question she had mulled over endlessly while recovering from her wounds. “-when you are from.”

Kassandra didn’t turn away. “You were right when you guessed Greece.”

“And when?” Andrea pushed.

Kassandra answered with lips. She kissed the back of Andrea’s ear. Her nose shuffled strands of hair. “One day, when we have more time, I will tell you a story.”

“If you’re as good a storyteller as you are other things, I expect you to tell me a tale worthy of all the mystery you wrap yourself in.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m wrapped in nothing.” Kassandra winked. Andrea rolled her eyes and marveled that such a powerful woman could light the room up with nothing but a laugh.

They shifted over the sheets and readjusted a few more times. It was the first time, Andrea truly felt at ease. Kassandra’s hand drifted around to her shoulder and followed down her collarbone, traced the outline of her breasts and continued further down.

“You’ve been busy. I caught the end of your latest work in California. I didn’t think your Brotherhood would send you that far from your operation headquarters.”

“They didn’t.” California had been about tracking down a hunter lead. Andrea met Kassandra’s gaze. She relished that Kassandra just admitted to following her. “That trip was more personal.”

Kassandra’s hand drifted just a little lower. Andrea leaned in. However, she forgot her train of thought as she felt Kassandra’s hand touch the left side of her stomach where the hunter had stabbed her. Her whole body trembled under Kassandra’s gentle exploration.

Andrea’s voice broke as she whispered. “Kassandra…”

“Is this okay?” Kassandra asked permission to keep touching.

It was the second time Kassandra had asked permission. It wasn’t something Andrea had heard before, not from a lover, not as soft as this. Andrea nodded. The only person that had touched her wound had been the doctor and Harris. After she had healed enough, she forbade Harris from even asking about it. The scar served as a reminder and a source of shame for an assassin of her training and skill.

“I never said I was sorry. I should have never taken my eyes off of you.”

“I’m not yours to protect.” Andrea’s words carried fierce conviction. “That was my mistake- a neophyte mistake.”

Kassandra kept her fingers gently brushing against Andrea’s skin. She looked up and met Andrea’s attempt to shake off her apology. “You won’t find him.”

“What do you mean?”

Kassandra’s eyes darkened. “After I brought you back to the assassins, I found the hunter, interrogated him about Montemp, and made sure he did not suffer lightly.”

Andrea didn’t fight down the anger and disappointment that bubbled inside of her. “He was supposed to be mine.”

Kassandra didn’t drop eye contact. “He’s still yours.”

“What do you mean?”

“When this is over, I will send you his location. He’s yours to do as you wish.”

“I- don’t know what to say.”

Kassandra shrugged. “A warrior’s revenge should be theirs alone. I would not take that from you.”

The statement and the faraway look in Kassandra’s eyes reminded Andrea why they were together in the first place. “Speaking of a warrior’s revenge. Why are you here? You could kill Montemp and take the device without me. I got in the way last time. If it wasn’t for me, it would already be destroyed. You should have left me.”

Kassandra matched Andrea’s level of assuredness. “Aspasia would have been ready for me whether you were there or not. I’m grateful it was you. It was an easy choice to make.”

Andrea had wrestled for three years over Kassandra’s decision. Guilt, anger, shame- it all snowballed into a mess of emotions she locked away and Kassandra so easily assuaged it all. Her eyes drew down to the small scar over Kassandra’s lip and the one over her nose. Andrea couldn’t help herself. She ran her finger over the line that connected to Kassandra’s lips. Her heart skipped when Kassandra opened her mouth and pressed a soft kiss to her finger.

How many more scars did Kassandra have? Andrea closed her eyes for a moment and let Kassandra kiss fingers down to her palm. Forgiveness. How could Kassandra make her feel like it was finally time to forgive herself?

“And Aspasia? An ex-lover? Another ally?”

Kassandra sighed. “An ideal. She gave me direction when I was most lost, I thought she would lead toward a truly better way of governing. We disappointed one another when we chose our own paths.”

“So where do I factor into all this or did you really just come back for that dance?”

Kassandra’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. “I think we can both say that dance was worth it.”

“You’re not the worst I’ve had.”

“I’m honored you had me.”

Kassandra said with such confidence, that Andrea felt the pull from deep in her core. If she wanted, Andrea knew she could straddle Kassandra and begin their night once again. However, she needed to focus. She would never make that mistake of being distracted again, not even by a woman like Kassandra- especially Kassandra.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Aspasia will be expecting me. Her and her pawn, Montemp, are planning to make a move with the fragment. That’s why they had the party, started leaving clues, and made themselves easy to find. They want me out of the way now before they launch whatever it is they’ve been working on. It’s a trap, obviously, and because of the way everything turned out last time, Aspasia is going to expect me to go after her and Montemp alone. She’s not going to expect me to bring you along and risk you again. She would never expect me to give you everything.”

“Everything?”

“Montemp. Aspasia. The device. All of it. It’s yours to do as you think best. It’s your choice now, not mine. She’ll be prepared for me. She won’t be prepared for a single master assassin.”

“So, your genius plan is to let me do all the hard work?”

“Yeah, something like that.” Kassandra flashed her that irresistible smirk. “Allies again? Just for the morning.”

Andrea rolled her eyes.“ _Just_ for the morning.”

* * *

_H,_  
_I’m heading to where M-t-p is hiding. Don’t follow me. I have to finish this. I have all the backup I need. This time will be different. I will see you soon. I promise._  
_AF_

“He will still worry.” Kassandra wordlessly handed two blades to Andrea.

“He always worries.” Andrea took the blades and inserted them onto her belt. She glanced over at the pile of discarded clothes. She didn’t need her evening dress anymore, but Kassandra didn’t have an extra outfit around. However, much she focused on the mission, a casually naked Kassandra was far too much. Andrea eyes roved unabashedly over Kassandra. “I’d say I’m sorry about your suit, but I don’t mind the view. There were far too many buttons. I was impatient.”

“Admiration from a beautiful woman is far more a blessing than any from the gods.” The caduceus necklace brightened and surrounded Kassandra. A moment later, Kassandra was fully clothed in a black and gray striped suit. Like the other ones, it was perfectly tailored to accentuate every curve and line of muscle definition. The necklace converted to the walking cane and settled easily in Kassandra’s hands.

Andrea stopped arming herself and took a moment to drink in Kassandra’s appearance. Even with clothes, she was just as striking. It didn’t seem fair. “I don’t think I’ll ever appreciate a sharp dressed man the same way.”

“And you shouldn’t. They don’t deserve you.” Kassandra held her hand out like she did that night three years ago. “Are you ready?”

“When I take your hand this time, are you going to transport us directly into the middle of danger again?”

“Probably.”

“Then yes.”

They clasped arms. The light surrounded them. Andrea blinked to clear her vision. They stood on the roof of a city apartment. Andrea didn’t recognize it, but the city skyline was still familiar. They hadn’t left Chicago.

“Where are we?”

“Look down.”

Kassandra tapped the end of her cane on the roof. Andrea focused her vision and peered into the building. It was hollow. It reminded her of the mansion complex in Houston. Like everything else the Templars and Abstergo touched, it was a shell for something more insidious. She still didn’t understand how the Templars were constructing their hideouts in plain sight. The technology shouldn’t be there.

“I’m going to take the front door.” Kassandra’s cane flickered to the ornate staff Andrea had seen three years ago before it settled on a large golden mace. It was an impressive and intimidating weapon. “Hope to see you down there.”

“I’ll get there before you.” Andrea attached the facemask portion of her hood over her mouth and attached the ventilation piece. She moved to the edge of the building and jumped backwards off the ledge with a final call. “Try not to keep me waiting too long.”

“May the gods bless your blades, assassin.”

Kassandra watched Andrea hook onto the side of the building and slip in through a vent. Kassandra took a moment and contemplated if this was the right move. It was stupid to put the Andrea Frye in danger when her family line needed to continue, but Kassandra didn’t see any other way to defeat Aspasia.

It was in the hands of the, so-called and never existed, gods now.

Kassandra exhaled a deep breath and steeled herself for whatever terrible trick Aspasia had planned this time, but she had faith that if anyone could beat Aspasia, it was Andrea. She gripped the leather handle of her weapon and blinked to the front of the building. Kassandra hefted the mace from her shoulder and in one motion swung the head into the doors. Glass shattered and caught the rising light of the morning sun.

Honestly, Kassandra couldn’t think of a more theatrical entrance.

“Aspasia! I know you’re here! Show yourself!”

Guards jumped from their stations and pointed their guns at the door. Bullets flooded the entrance, but Kassandra was too fast. She blinked in and out behind them. The mace smashed into one enemy then and flicked through a different weapon against the next soldier. Over and over, Kassandra left destruction wherever she appeared. The templar guards could barely keep from shooting each other in confusion. Kassandra finished the final templar with a satisfying single blow with the mace head to the center of his chest. He flew back twenty feet and slammed against the far wall.

“Is that all you have, Aspasia? It’s pathetic hiding behind these pawns. I always thought you were a better tactician than that.”

If Aspasia, wanted a show, she was going to get a full production. Kassandra bellowed once again. “We have unfinished business and I intend to end it today!”

At the far wall, a door slid open by itself. Kassandra’s mace turned into the Staff of Hermes as she approached the obvious trap. She tossed off her suit jacket, undid her tie, rolled the sleeves of her shirt up. The time for games was over; the cat and mouse chase ended today.

* * *

The Templar hideout felt unlike any Andrea had infiltrated before. There was a strange symmetrical dissonance between the floors and the walls, as if someone had measured everything to perfect angles and straight lines, then tilted it all two degrees down. The hallways stretched and made for unusual turns. She hugged the walls as best she could, but there were no shadows, no places to hide, and surprisingly no guards.

Andrea’s unease grew every moment she spent tracking deeper and deeper into the Templar complex. Unconsciously, she flicked her assassin blades in and out - in and out. The quiet noise provided the only companion in the utterly empty building. Andrea jumped down two more floors and landed softly without a single alarm. She focused her vision through floors.

Nothing.

Nothing on nothing on nothing on nothing.

A faint nagging thought flickered through her confusion. What if Kassandra had sent her on a wild goose chase? What if her plan had always been to take down Montemp by herself?

In and out.  
In and out.  
In and out.

Andrea fought against the possibility that Kassandra had lied. It just seemed to go completely against her nature. Andrea had only known Kassandra long enough to fight, almost die, and fuck all within less than twenty-four hours over the course of three years. Still it didn’t seem in Kassandra’s mettle to trick her like that.

They were allies.

A faint gold vibrating outline caught her eye. Andrea leaned over the railing and focused harder. For a moment, she could have sworn it blurred like Kassandra’s aura, but there was something different about this. Without a doubt, that had to be what Kassandra wanted her to find- the device, the one called Aspasia. Kassandra hadn’t betrayed her.

Andrea smiled to no one but herself as she mounted and stood on the railing. It was at least a fifteen story drop down to where she saw the strange aura. Andrea spread her arms out, took a deep centering breath, and leapt.

* * *

Kassandra’s staff tapped steady down the hallway. She walked with patience. Aspasia liked to play long games. There was no reason to rush into whatever she had planned. More importantly, she needed to buy time for Andrea.

“Aspasia, there is only so much you can do in the hands of an incompetent fool like Montemp. The last time I found the fragment, it was being wielded by someone with much more formidable power. Had I known it was you guiding his hand, I would have offered him a little more mercy when I lost the fragment and killed him.”

Kassandra opened the only door in the hallway. She paused at the entrance and stood still. It was an empty room, devoid of all light, except for a single dais. On the platform, the fragment stood straight, held up by tiny wires. The setup, the stage, and the light all reminded Kassandra of the Cult of Kosmos’s hideout. The theatricality combined with the masks created a culture of moral superiority mixed with a terrible lack of responsibility. Even after all these years, Kassandra hated it.

“I see you haven’t lost your sense for the dramatic.” Kassandra took two steps into the room and tapped her staff on the floor. “Now, give it up.”

Montemp’s voice flooded the room. “Kassandra, have you ever seen a picture bigger than yourself? This isn’t some silly cult thing anymore, that time has long passed. I am working toward a better future, one where you don’t have to worry yourself about whatever never ending mission you’ve been set on. Join me. We don’t have to work against each other. We’re don’t have to be enemies.”

Kassandra shook her head. “Aspasia, don’t insult me. I’m not here to play games. You should have never been in possession of any of this technology.”

“And what makes you any different?” Montemp’s voice rose with Aspasia’s question. “You waltz in and out of the centuries with that staff. I know it comes from the same place as the artifact did. What makes you any more deserving of the technology than me?”

“It doesn’t.” Kassandra took two more steps into the room. The door behind her sealed shut, but she barely cared. There were no more guards, no more machine guns or turrets. Just the dais and wherever Montemp was hiding. “I would much rather be in my cave not worried about how you and people like you are finding ways to abuse things you don’t understand.”

“Then help us understand it, Kassandra. Together we could build a new world, a better world. None of this war business, just an ordered utopia.”

The floor shifted. Kassandra grasped her staff harder, light flooded the immediate area around her. Everything started to rumble and vibrate. Pieces of the floor rose and started to move. Kassandra blinked from one platform to the next. It was easy to avoid the flipping floor; too easy, her entire body tensed in preparation for the real danger.

If Asapia knew that Kassandra was coming, what could she possibly hope to achieve except to escape and resurface again in another hundred years to whisper in a new pawn’s ear? It didn’t make sense. Why would Aspasia draw her out now?

The hair on Kassandra’s back straightened in alarm. She blinked from one tilting platform to the next. At the same time, a wicked flare shot from the fragment piece. Kassandra barely brought her staff up in time to absorb the blow.

When the light flecks and particles from the attack cleared, Kassandra’s eyes widened. “What have you done, Aspasia?”

Montemp’s laughter filled the chamber.

Another bolt of light shot from the fragment. It splinted against Kassandra’s staff. Smaller, more dangerous bolts bounced against the walls and exploded against the platforms. Kassandra blinked around the room to avoid the ones coming from the device and the new ones she created every time her staff deflected them. The room started shifting again. Instead of platforms, mirror panels flipped and faced the center of the chamber. Now whenever the weaponized light beams bounced from Kassandra’s staff or the fragment, they didn’t stop, they bounced back.

Kassandra stopped trying to attack the bolts and just started dodging them. She flipped from platform to platform. She focused on the fragment at the far end of the room. One blink at the wrong time and she could be hit by a bolt. Maybe she could get in behind the fragment and de-power it somehow.

She focused her power, the light around her grew, and she moved through the light of the Staff of Hermes like she always did. She could see the fragment. She reached out, but before she could grasp it, a mirror blocked her. She bounced back like one of the bolts of light.

“Kassandra, it’s too late. I’ve spent years working on a prison for you. The mirrors are designed to reflect all the light in, including your staff. Even if you wanted to blink out of here, you would bounce back like the light against the mirrors. You can keep that staff of yours for as long as you want, but you will be trapped here forever. We will study you and the technology. You wanted to live in a cave, now you can, but it will be in my cave.”

The fragment vibrated on the dais and the light beams stopped bouncing. They pulled back as if controlled by the device. Once again, Kassandra stood alone with only the fragment on the dais, except this time the light from the Staff of Hermes reflected off thousands of mirror panels all around her.

Kassandra examined the design of the room. Even the floor she stood on was now covered in mirrors. To test the strength of the cage, her staff converted back to the mace she had used earlier. She swung the weapon with all her strength at the wall behind her. The mace bounced off the wall. There wasn’t even a scratch.

It had been a long time since Kassandra had come up against anything that could stop the Staff of Hermes.

“Your staff is made of the same material as the fragment. We’ve developed a shielding tech and since you have no other weapons, I doubt you can break any of these mirrors. Accept your fate, Kassandra. Don’t make this more difficult for yourself. Work with us and your imprisonment for the rest of eternity could even be pleasurable.”

“Clever. Trapping me wasn’t something I expected.” Kassandra hung her head for a moment before she took several steps closer to the fragment. “I do accept my fate, Aspasia.”

Surprise lined Montemp’s question. “You do?”

“I do.” Kassandra leaned into her staff and casually rested her chin over her crossed fingers. “You are right. I have no more claim over this technology than you do. So, I left my fate in the hands of another. It’s her choice now.”

“What are you talkin-”

Montemp’s voice cut out. It was followed by a faint gurgling sound through whatever intercom he had been using to communicate into the mirror prison.

A second later, Andrea’s familiar voice filled the chamber. “Kassandra?”

“Here I thought I was supposed to be the one not keeping you waiting, Ms. Frye.” Kassandra teased.

“You know that I have the controls to your prison, right? I _don’t_ have to let you out.”

“I am at the mercy of your exquisite fingertips.”

The chamber once against started to shake. The floor plates and the wall linings slipped back to their original position. Kassandra blinked up to the dais. There were no mirrors or fake plates to protect the fragment now. It rested suspended in the air. Kassandra had been a fool not to consider that all the members of the Cult of Kosmos possessed a small fragment of the Isu technology. When she let Aspasia walk away, she walked away with more than her terrible intentions.

Kassandra regarded the fragment. She had spent centuries chasing down that decision. And now…

She looked up just as Andrea dropped from a ceiling panel. The assassin landed lightly with grace. Andrea removed her face mask and pushed her hood back from her head. Kassandra regarded Andrea.

It wasn’t hard to imagine that Andrea Frye would eventually transfer permanently to the American Brotherhood. She would be the only reason the assassins would survive the crushing efficiency of Abstergo. She and her partner Harris would recognize the real threat of the Templar corporation. They would train their successors to be just as suspicious and secretive as they were. They would ensure free will wouldn’t die. Their descendants would live to fight the Templars even when the battle seemed lost.

It seemed fitting that it would be Andrea who rescued Kassandra too.

Their eyes met. Andrea’s darted over Kassandra’s shoulders, the rolled sleeves, the missing jacket, and the perspiration. Maybe fighting Montemp’s prison room was more dangerous than Kassandra cared to admit. Without saying a word, they both confirmed they weren’t seriously injured.

“The fragment is yours to do with as you see fit.”

Andrea approached the dais. “What will happen if I touch it?”

“It reacts to certain people- certain bloodlines. I can’t tell you what you’ll see or who you’ll hear. From my experience, it responds to the user.”

The fragment reflected in Andrea’s eyes and glowed almost like it wanted her to reach out. Andrea, however, lifted her eyes. She couldn’t help herself. Power had never interested her, but the promise and honesty Kassandra offered…

“This is not my mine to complete. Didn’t you say a warrior’s revenge was theirs? I trust you, Kassandra.”

Kassandra swelled with relief at Andrea’s words. She flipped the Staff of Hermes in the air. It transformed into the shape of Leonidas spear. Without hesitation, Kassandra drove the spear head directly into the triangle piece. It sparked, fizzled, and then crumbled into dust.

“Thank you.”

Their victory was only short lived as per the unwritten rule of hideouts, the illusion broke, and building started to shake. Kassandra offered Andrea her hand. Andrea didn’t hesitate, she slipped comfortably into Kassandra’s hold.

When Andrea opened her eyes, they were back in the apartment. Andrea saw the look in Kassandra’s eyes before they even said a word.

“You’re leaving.”

“I must. Aspasia could be manipulative, but she wasn’t always wrong. This isn’t my place or my time. My presence affects everything-everyone- it disrupts the balance I am supposed to maintain.”

“Will I ever see you again?”

“Probably not, but you do seem to have a knack for getting into trouble. Andrea-” Kassandra turned away as if having a conversation with someone else. “-I can’t hold you back from your destiny.”

“There’s no such thing as destiny.”

“But there are choices and you have so many to make. Much bigger than I am. I can’t be part of it. My mission is leading me down a different path.”

“All missions end. When will you give up yours?”

Kassandra gripped the Staff of Hermes tighter in her hand. “When I know the one who will restore balance can take my place. Without you, that will never happen.”

Andrea felt such an ache in her chest, but she pushed it down. If there was something she understood, it was duty. Her family, her training, all the love she held for the people she protected and served, Andrea Frye had seen sacrifice on the front lines. She had seen Kassandra’s resolve in the mirror. It was one of the reasons she trusted Kassandra- admired her.

Instead of an answer, Andrea took a step forward into Kassandra’s space. Her leg slipped between Kassandra’s thighs. Her hand rested on Kassandra’s bare forearm. “As I see it, it’s still morning.”

“Still allies?” Kassandra pulled Andrea completely into her.

“ _Just_ for the morning.” Andrea groaned as she felt Kassandra’s fingers play with her belt. “And, Kassandra…”

“Yeah?” She breathlessly whispered against Andrea’s neck.

“If you transport us to the other side of the world, we’ll have more time to be allies.” Andrea felt Kassandra smile. A moment later, the caduceus necklace started to glow, but the light wasn’t the only thing that consumed her.

**END**


	3. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had this written for awhile but didn't post it, but I don't think the story is complete without truly thinking about the ways Kassandra would weave in and out of lives and her impact throughout them.

**Epilogue**

_Fifty-one years later_  
_Undisclosed Location Brotherhood Hideout, America_  
_1997_

“The doctor’s right. There isn’t much time left, Cassidy. As much as I love you and your mom, he’s right. She’s deteriorated rapidly.”

Cassidy leaned against the door of her mom’s room and met her husband’s eyes. He tried. He did, but there were some things people would never understand about her mother unless they lived with her. Andrea Frye was a living legend- sure. Everyone knew of her, but there weren’t many who actually understood what growing up with a legend meant.

“She’s never lost a battle, Rick. Ever. She’s not done yet.”

“It’s inside her, Cass. It’s only a matter of time and she doesn’t have much.”

“I know. Don’t think I don’t know.”

Cassidy debated knocking on her mom’s door once again, but why watch the inevitable when she couldn’t do something to stop it.

“What’s the name she keeps calling out? Is it a secret assassin password or an informant? What is it- Kassandra, right?”

Cassidy let out a small laugh. Rick really didn’t understand Cassidy’s mom. Sure, Andrea had accepted him into the family, but she was a hard shell to crack. He had tried admirably and for all his trying, it made it that much harder for Andrea to truly let him in. After awhile, Andrea grew to accept that Rick was the man Cassidy loved and that was tolerable for her.

“Yeah, she keeps saying Kassandra. It’s not a secret anything so don’t get your hopes up to find hidden assassin armor in a tomb somewhere. That’s only happened like twice- ever. I don’t know why the brotherhood still talks about that stuff. It only leads everyone to hunt down the most ridiculous leads that end up nowhere.” Cassidy couldn’t help but smile at the fond memories of her mother tucking her and her brother in for the night with stories. “No, Kassandra is just a fairy tale my mom made up to tell us when we were kids.”

“A fairy tale? I can’t imagine the Andrea Frye telling bedtime stories. I didn’t think she had the capacity.”

“She could be soft underneath that exterior, but yeah, Kassandra was like the equivalent of a greek goddess. She was more powerful than Superman. A giant of a woman with all these powers- bulletproof, could practically fly, she had a weapon that could be anything she thought of. Honestly, she was a little overpowered, but I guess that’s how all superheroes are. In my mom’s stories, Kassandra straddled the line between the assassins and the templars- order and free will. Those stories were our first real exposure to understanding the brotherhood and what we do.”

Rick offer a small smile and shrugged his shoulders. “Sounds a thousand times better than my introduction to the family business. My dad took me to the top of our roof and shoved me off the ledge. I think I would have preferred bedtime stories to falling three floors to figure I was part of an assassin bloodline.”

“From what I remember of your dad from his days on my mom’s war councils, I’m not surprised.”

“He never quite mastered the art of subtlety.” Rick could sense talking about the stories was helping Cassidy keep calm about the possibility that it could her mother’s last night. “Are you sure Kassandra wasn’t a secret assassin?”

“I’m certain.” Cassidy laughed a little to herself. “I’m definitely certain. One time, I must have been nine or ten years old. We were training, building strength, working on our technique. I wasn’t thrown off a roof, but we were practicing to take our first leaps of faith.”  
  
“Okay…”

“And I decided I was ready, without formal training or permission. Mom was focused on my little brother and I had seen her do the leap of faith several times. In my very wise wisdom of nine years old, I figured I didn’t need her. I scaled the cliff right above our training grounds. If I would have made it to the top, I think I would have been fine doing the leap of faith, but-” Cassidy shook her head. “I slipped more than half way up the cliff and I lost it. Completely lost it.”

“You never told me about this.”

“It’s not something I’m proud of. All I remember was hearing mom scream my name, a flash of light, and then I was down on the ground and a voice said _May the gods bless your blades, little assassin_.”

“A voice blessed your blades?” Rick scoffed. “Obviously, you hit your head.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes. “No shit, but me, being that young, I told my mom what I heard the voice say and that it must have been Kassandra who saved me.”

“I can’t imagine the _master assassin_ Andrea Frye was too pleased you fell and then said a fairy tale saved you.”

“Oh. You guessed right. I can’t even describe the look on her face. She gave me to my Uncle Harris and told him that I couldn’t leave the training yard until I completed five sets of a hundred formations. I couldn’t lift my arms for a week. Then mom scaled the cliff and disappeared for hours. I was sore, terrified, angry at myself, at her, at poor Harris. When she came back, I thought she was going to give me the scolding of a lifetime. Instead, she kissed my head, hugged me for a full minute, said she loved me, and that was it. Not even a disappointed lecture.”

“And what of the Kassandra stories?”

“Done. No more stories and my training went into overdrive. It was like mom wasn’t going to punish me for falling, but she was never going to let it happen again.”

“So why do you think-”

“I think it’s the pain medication.” Cassidy abruptly shrugged. “She loses time- gets confused- when she takes it. That’s all.”

“I can check on her if you don’t-”

“Rick, I love you, but she’s my mom. I can do this. I’ll check on her in a couple hours. Go home, take care of our kids.”

“I should be here with you.”

“It’s okay. My brother and sister will be here soon. It’s better that it’s just the three of us. Mom would want that.”

Cassidy waited until Rick left before she wandered back to her mother’s room. She cracked open the door, but Andrea was sleeping peacefully. Cassidy closed it and went to her desk to keep working.

* * *

“She worries about you.”

“She’s just like her Uncle Harris. Always worrying.” Andrea rolled her eyes and sat up in her bed. The pain medication pills rested on the nightstand untouched. She hated not being fully in control. “It’s been a long time.”

“Too long.” Kassandra stepped out of the shadows. Her suit was sharp, modern, no tie, unbuttoned, and striking.

Andrea whistled low under her breath in admiration. “I still haven’t found anyone who looks as good as you do in a suit.”

“I would be offended if you had.” Kassandra couldn’t help but smile. “I’ve missed you.”

“You haven’t been far.” Andrea said with cool knowing. “I might not be able to see you when you don’t want to be found, but you’re easy to feel. You felt good on the days I needed to feel you most.”

“I-” Kassandra heistated. “I didn’t know.”

“I didn't want you to know. You’re already so stubborn. You would have tried to be even more secretive than you usually are.” Andrea teased, but her tone shifted just slightly. “If you’re here, that must mean I’m in danger.”

Kassandra unbuttoned her jacket and sat on the bed next to Andrea. “I don’t normally do this.”

“What? Visit a woman on her deathbed?”

Kassandra’s face lost color and then flamed red. “Andrea-”

“I already knew. I’ve known for some time. How long do I have?”

Instead of answering right away, Kassandra opened her hand. She revealed a small token in the same shape of her staff. She held her hand out. Andrea struggled to find the strength, but eventually clasped her hand down. The second she touched the Staff of Hermes, a rush of vitality spread throughout her body. She literally gasped and frantically searched for Kassandra’s eyes.

“Is this what you feel like all the time?”

Kassandra couldn’t help but smile at the light in Andrea’s eyes. It wouldn’t make Andrea any younger, it wouldn’t cure her of the disease killing her, but for as long as Andrea held Kassandra’s hand, she could use the strength of the staff.

“No.” Kassandra shook her head. “You get used to it after awhile. The only thing that makes me feel like that anymore is someone like you.”

“Flattery will only get you so far in my bed.” Andrea’s good natured smile slowly faded as she met Kassandra’s eyes once more. “I know it’s not good if you’re here. How long do I really have? Just till the morning?”

Kassandra looked down at their connected hands once more. “No, we can stay like this for as long as you need. When you’re ready...all you have to do is let go.”

Andrea lingered on their hands and then back to Kassandra. Her heart skipped at the look in Kassandra’s eyes. Of everything she had done and experienced, being with Kassandra had always felt so visceral. Even the days when Kassandra had only been a guardian shadow watching over her shoulder, those had been the most vivid.

“I’m glad we have some time because you owe me a story.”

“I thought you would have forgotten.”

“You’re hard to forget about.”

“If you want the full story-”

“You owe me the full story.”

“Fine, then move over, I’m coming in.”

Andrea with her new found strength, wiggled to make room. Kassandra climbed into the bed and opened her arms. Without hesitation, Andrea tucked herself against Kassandra’s welcomed embrace. Andrea felt lighter and stronger; more flexible than she had in years. She stretched herself flat against Kassandra’s chest and adjusted their hands to a comfortable position.

“You were saying.”

“If you want to hear it from the beginning, my tale begins in the land of Sparta…”

“Of course it does.” Andrea teased.

“Are you mocking me before I even begin?”

“No, I just thought you’d be Athenian.”

“From Athens?!” Kassandra scoffed. “Never. You have no idea how you just insulted me.”

“Fine, you were a proud Spartan-”

Kassandra cringed. “Not exactly, let me start over. This time we’ll begin on the island of Kephallonia.”

* * *

Cassidy checked the clock for the hundredth time. It was poor discipline. She could hear her mother’s voice chiding her-

_“Time never goes slower or faster, but lack of discipline will always make timely mistakes.”_

5 am.

Cassidy forced herself through a mindful discipline exercise. She took her time getting up from her mother’s work desk. There were missives to send, emails to read, and a Brotherhood counting on their family. Cassidy just hated knowing this time tomorrow, they would be counting on someone who wasn’t mom. They would count on her. She braced herself outside her mother’s room for a moment and struggled with the words she wanted to say. She had seen death too many times, this could be their last time together.

She pushed the door open and immediately forgot all her preparation. A stranger rested on the bed next to her mother.

Cassidy slipped a concealed blade from her brace and shifted to attack, but there was something familiar about the woman in her mother’s bed. The sharp suit, the brown eyes, the braid-

Before she could think to react any different, Cassidy whispered. “You’re real.” It all came crashing back to her- the voice, the light, and those eyes. “I can’t believe you’re real. It really was you when I fell. I thought I made it all up, but you’re the one who caught me.”

Kassandra nodded gently to Cassidy, but her focus turned back to Andrea on the bed.

“Oh no!” Cassidy took one quick step into the room. “Mom? Is she-”

“Dead? Not yet, Cassidy, love, put that knife away and come to bed with us. Relax and listen to a story.” Andrea patted the opposite side of her mattress. “Kassandra was just telling me about the first mythical beast she slayed- an actual minotaur. She wants me to believe she had no trouble, but I’ve seen her fight. I can only imagine a bull versus another bull. Don’t believe any lies she tells you about fighting with grace.”

“As I was saying, the minotaur wasn’t difficult. He was all horns, no brains. Not a match for me.”

“Sounds familiar…all staff, no couth.”

Kassandra laughed and caught Cassidy’s eye as she entered the bed on the opposite side. “I would have saved you more from your mother growing up, young assassin, but I was afraid to get too close. Her tongue is sharper than her blade. Did she ever tell you about the first time we met? I tried to warn her about the trap she was walking into and instead of thanking me, she tried to kill me.”

“Sounds like mom.”

“Kassandra, you’ve been telling stories all night. We have very different opinions about our first meeting. I imagine you thought yourself smooth asking for a dance as if our covers weren’t completely blown.” Andrea gripped the Staff of Hermes necklace between her and Kassandra a little tighter when she turned back to her daughter. “The first time Kassandra and I met was here in the United States. I was working on some intel that your Uncle Harris didn’t want me to follow.”

Cassidy felt a little more relaxed at hearing the strength and laughter in her mother’s voice again. She smiled. “Now what sounds familiar? Everyone knows you never listen to Uncle Harris even when he’s right- especially when he’s right.”

“Some things never change.” Kassandra teased. “I knew your daughter had a good head on her shoulders.”

Andrea feigned offense. “I’ll remind both of you that this is my bed and I’ll have no more sidetalking from either of you.”

Kassandra bowed her head in amusement. “My sincerest apologies, Ms. Fyre. Please continue. I know better than to argue with you. I’ve learned you can be quite stubborn.”

Andrea held Kassandra’s eyes for a moment longer. She didn’t need to say the words, but Kassandra felt them. Gratitude and love that Andrea could finally share a moment of their lives together with her daughter, Cassidy. After a moment, Andrea reached for her eldest daughter’s hand and continued. “As I was saying, the first time I met Kassandra…”


End file.
